Global E-Commerce: Rationale, Digital Divide, and Strategies To Bridge The Divide By: Lakshmi S Iyer, Larry Taube, and Julia Raquet. Iyer, L.S., L. Taube, and J. Raquet, "Global E-Commerce: Rationale, Digital Divide, and Strategies To Bridge The Divide,” Journal of Global Information Technology Management, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2002, 43-68. ***© Taylor & Francis. Reprinted with permission. No further reproduction is authorized without written permission from Taylor & Francis. This version of the document is not the version of record. Figures and/or pictures may be missing from this format of the document. *** This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Global Information Technology Management on September 9, 2014, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/1097198X.2002.10856319 Abstract: The Internet revolution is sweeping the globe with such swiftness that companies around the world are trying to understand what is occurring, what it all means, where it is going, and how to leverage this new opportunity. In spite of the global nature of this new revolution, studies indicate that almost three fourths of all e- commerce (EC) is done in the United States today and that the United States accounts for 90 percent of all commercial web sites. The purposes of this study are to address several of the underlying rationales for the previous observations, to analyze this digital divide, to propose possible strategies to bridge and overcome this divide, and to propose some specific propositions based on the extensive literature search provided here. To address these questions, this paper provides a general framework including a discussion of present advantages of global EC growth, national and corporate EC comparisons, an analysis of EC limitations, and the development of strategies for global EC growth. Keywords: Internet | International E-Commerce | Digital Divide | Cultural Differences | E- Commerce Limitations Article: INTRODUCTION The Internet seems to be global in reach by its very nature: The same web site that can be accessed from the United States can be accessed from countries throughout the world. The data flows across the Net in easily digestible packets and can be easily tapped and exchanged by people in every comer of the earth. Thus, the Internet seems to be the medium that eliminates national borders and trade zones and allows everybody to participate equally in the global market. It seems to provide the same opportunities for everyone for the first time, regardless of geographic position or nationality.